The September 1 2013 Issue Of NPT: Now Available

Labor Day is generally considered the symbolic end of summer and, in that spirit, we offer you the first NPT issue of the Fall.

The September 1 issue of The NonProfit Times includes exclusive donor research. This special report examines the results of a survey NPT conducted in partnership with ORC International. Donors were asked whether they were more likely to contribute to a disaster-relief or non-disaster relief charity. The results were somewhat surprising as a slim majority of respondents (47 percent to 44 percent, 9 percent undecided) said they would give to a non-disaster relief organization.

You can purchase the full results of the survey through our online store if you are interested in seeing the demographic breakdowns.

Here are some other noteworthy features of the issue:

Articles

• Municipal Bankruptcies Are Changing Social Services: In the wake of Detroit filing for bankruptcy, we examine how nonprofits' services were affected by Chapter 9 and 11 filings in other cities.
• FCC Opens FM Airwaves For Nonprofits: Nonprofits on the radio? A recent FCC ruling is opening the doors for more organizations to broadcast on low-powered FM stations.
• Texas Hoarders: Livestrong Piled Up Cash: Livestrong has been stockpiling cash in recent years, holding four times as much in short-term savings and temporary cash in 2012 as it did three years ago, according to a review of its Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990.

Columns

• Multi-Year Grants: The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s The State of Multi-Year Funding 2011 shows that the more things change the more they stay the same when it comes to the long-term, flexible grant dollars.
• General Ramblings: Politicizing Politics: In his latest column, NPT Editor-in-Chief Paul Clolery examines the war of words between secular nonprofit and religious organization leaders regarding a recommendation that clergy should be able to say anything they want from the pulpit of their tax-exempt houses of worship so long as it doesn’t cost anything.

This is just a taste of the content in our newest issue. If you are already a subscriber, click here to access the digital edition of the magazine, otherwise head to our subscription page to get access.

Featured Nonprofit Job: Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) is looking to hire an Executive Assistant to the President and CEO. This is the perfect position for an experienced office assistant who is ready to transition to the nonprofit sector.

The chosen candidate for this position will provide crucial administrative assistance to the President and CEO of FBLA-PBL. In addition, the Executive Assistant is responsible for all facilities, technology, office administration and handles issues of a confidential nature.

Other important duties include:

• Provide administrative support for all board meetings including logistics, materials, record and transcribe minutes.
• Manage the calendar of the President & CEO, and proactively coordinate the pre-planning of trips, including arranging appropriate travel, hotels, transportation, meetings and necessary contacts, as well as other information.
• Manage the administration and organization of fundraising efforts, currently in an Access database.
• Coordinate the staff hiring and recruitment process, including advertising, screening, and executing relevant correspondence.
• Serve as network administrator for computer, Internet, and telephone networks.

Qualified applicants should have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field plus seven or more years of office management experience. Proficiency with Microsoft Office products is also a plus, as are superior written, research, and oral communication skills.

You can apply for this job by visiting the NPT Jobs Career Center.

The Top 10 Risks Facing Nonprofits

Risks are everywhere these days. Whether they are known or unknown, they pose a threat to your nonprofit and the first step to successful risk management is knowing your enemy.

In materials provided to the AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry Conference, Melanie Lockwood Herman, executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, talked about the most serious risks that organizations face on a daily basis. She presented a top 10 list of the most damaging risks. They are:

• Uncertainty regarding financial sustainability. The less cash on hand, the greater the danger when revenue is late or unreliable;
• Ineffective fiscal and risk oversight;
• Incomplete appreciation of fraud risk. There are three general kinds: against the nonprofit, by the nonprofit and through the nonprofit;
• Allowing a leader/staff member/volunteer to be “above suspicion.” A casual glance through the news should be enough to put this one to rest;
• Lack of succession planning. On average, boards spend two hours a year on CEO succession planning;
• Ineffective departure planning and execution. Nothing lasts forever;
• Naïve crisis planning. People don’t get to choose the source or cause of their next crisis;
• Dissatisfied donors (poorly understood/managed donor relationships);
• Unmanaged conflict on the board; and,
• Lack of practical (well-understood) governance practices. This can cover every conceivable item, from conflict of interest through gift acceptance, and anything in between.

California Nonprofit, Union Spar Over New Contract

A new contract between a Berkeley, Calif., nonprofit and the California Professional Employees (CAPE) union is being held-up because of disagreements regarding a potential pay raise for the organization's workers.

According to a report in The Daily Californian, Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) -- which provides food and shelter for the homeless -- and CAPE began negotiations for a new contract in January, but have yet to reach common ground on pay. The union is demanding a 2-percent pay raise, an amount that BOSS Executive Director Donald Frazier said would bankrupt the organization.

"They’re asking me to increase the deficit, and I’m just not willing to do that," The Daily Californian quoted Frazier as saying. "BOSS is not equipped to do that." BOSS has an annual budget of more than $5 million, according to its most recent federal Form 990. The organization has 90 employees, most of whom are members of CAPE.

In an interview with The NonProfit Times, Frazier said they got an extension of the current contract until August 31. As to what happens after that, he said that it's hard to say at this point, but that it's possible they will get another extension of the contract so they can continue negotiations.

"I've asked the union to work with me for one year. We can certainly do a two-percent increase eventually, but we need to stabilize financially first," said Frazier.

A representative from CAPE took issue with Frazier's statement, saying that employees at BOSS have not received a pay raise since 2006. Christoper Graeber, who is CAPE's business representative, reportedly said that the only concession BOSS is offering is to give workers an extra day-off each year.

Graeber reportedly described the wage increases sought as "minimal," and expressed disappointment that Frazier is refusing "to bend at all."

You can read the full story in The Daily Californian.

Participate In The 2013 Nonprofit Salary And Benefits Survey -- Final Deadline!

Every year, The NonProfit Times and Bluewater Nonprofit Solutions publish the Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Reports. These in-depth studies help organizations to determine whether they are in line with similar organizations and to remain in compliance with the Internal Revenue Service. The data for these reports come from surveys of our readers and this week will be your last chance to add to the large amount of information we have already collected for our upcoming 2013 Salary and Benefits Reports.

We have have received tremendously valuable data already from participants who have completed the 2013 Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Survey, but there's always room for more! Those participants who complete their survey by August 31 will get a FREE Executive Summary of the Survey, with full salary data for all positions. Everyone who completes the survey will receive 50% off the full report ($285 currently). In addition, one lucky individual will be selected to win a Kindle Fire HD!

We know that your time is valuable so we have streamlined the survey so that it will be even quicker to complete. In addition, if you have previously completed the 2011 or 2012 surveys, you now have the ability to jump start the 2013 survey completion process–you only need to change the data that is different.

Other new features of the 2013 Survey include:

• The survey is now compatible with all major Internet browsers including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
• We've made it easier and more intuitive to enter data. We've also added more prompts to guide users.

Head to our website today to start the survey and help all nonprofits. Remember, the deadline to complete it is in just four days!